About

We Shall be Monsters: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Two Centuries On

“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.” Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

200 years ago, Mary Shelley wrote a genre-changing book, which she titled “Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus”. This story helped to shape the genres of science fiction and horror and helped to articulate new forms for women’s writing. It also helped us to think about the figure of the outsider, to question medical power, to question ideas of normal, and to think about what we mean by the word “monster”. Her book inspired adaptations into stage, into film, into new books, poetry, television, and all manner of art. I’m 7 time Aurora Award-winning editor and critic Derek Newman-Stille and I have teamed up with Gatineau-based publisher Renaissance Press to celebrate Frankenstein’s 200th birthday by creating a book that explores Frankenstein stories from new and exciting angles and perspectives. We have gathered authors from around the world who have new takes on an old monster and brought them together into an anthology of exciting fiction.

We Shall Be Monsters: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Two Centuries On will feature a broad range of fiction stories, from direct interactions with Shelley's texts to explorations of the stitched, assembled body and narrative experiments in monstrous creations. We Shall Be Monsters is a fiction collection that will feature explorations of disability through Frankenstein, queer and trans identity, ideas of race and colonialism. Shelley’s story provides a space for exploring a multitude of identities through the figure of the sympathetic outsider. Frankenstein’s “monster” is a figure of Otherness, and one that can tell stories of exclusion and social oppression.

Your contribution to our campaign will help us

About the Editor

Derek Newman-Stille is a 7-time winner of the Prix Aurora Award, the highest award in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is currently also editing Over the Rainbow: Folk and Fairy Tales from the Margins (Exile, 2018), and has written for publications like Quill & Quire, Accessing the Future and The Playground of Lost Toys. He has published academic works in works like The Canadian Fantastic in Focus, Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature, and Misfit Children: An Inquiry into Childhood Belongings. In his academic life, Derek is a scholar of disability and queer studies, examining how popular media portray oppressed identities. In his role as a critic, writer, and interviewer, Derek seeks to open up discussions about speculative fiction, fantastica, and the imagination.

At the Monster Itself level, you'll receive a physical copy of the book.

At the Monstrous Renaissance level, in addition to a copy of the anthology, you will receive a selection of Renaissance's complete novels in ebook format. To find out more about the listed books and their authors, please visit https://renaissancebookpress.com/.

The Monstrous Selves level, in addition to having your name listed on the supporters' page and receiving a copy of the book. allows you to submit a picture and Nathan Caro Fréchette will "monsterize" you, turning you into Frankenstein's monster:

Derek

Frankenderek

At the Raising the Writer level, in addition to having your name on the supporters' page and receiving a copy of the book, you'll be able to participate to an exclusive writing workshop on Google Hangout to explore your inner writer and improve your writing skills.

Stretch goals

Audible Monsters: at 4,000 CA$, we will produce an audio version of the book. Backers at all levels higher than Electric shall receive a CD version of the audio book, and backers at the Electric level will receive a downloadable audio file.

A Monstrous Instruction: at 6,000 CA$, we will produce an ebook of Derek Newman-Stille's The Essential Frankenstein 101 Syllabus. We will also record video lectures and discussions with the following experts:

If this stretch goal is reached, we will include a DVD of the full selection of lectures and/or links to streaming versions of the videos to all reward levels.

Monstrous Displays: at 7,000 CA$, we will produce digital Frankenstein Art by Derek Newman-Stille and Nathan Caro Fréchette, dramatic readings of sections from Mary Shelley’s 1818 Frankenstein, and a Frankenstein radio play performance. These audio and digital art files will be added as a CD and/or downloadable resource with every reward level.

Risks and challenges

Derek Newman-Stille is an accomplished, award-winning editor who directed many successful anthologies; he has the know-how and experience to make this project the best it can be.
Renaissance Press has nearly five years of experience publishing works of fiction in both print and audio formats. Our production of audiobooks on MP3 and audio CDs, as well as distribution via Audlble.com, means we have the resources, equipment, and experience to provide you with a quality audio product, and our print books, which you can see at renaissancebookpress.com, are often lauded for the quality of their design.
In addition to superior design and formatting for the book, Renaissance will also provide quality video recording and editing, as can be seen from the book trailers on its youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RenaissanceBPFinally, Renaissance has run and fulfilled two successful Kickstarter campaigns in the past, and has always met its obligations.

As you know, Kickstarter is an all or nothing platform. Help us get this anthology off the ground, and give you all the bonus stuff you deserve!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge CA$ 100 or more
About $78

Monstrous selves (digital)

Frankensteinize yourself! Have a portrait made of yourself as Frankenstein's monster. (Examples in the project description). You will receive a digital file of the art as well as a signed 5x7 print.
This reward includes an ebook copy of We Shall Be Monsters, and your name on the anthology's supporters' page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge CA$ 125 or more
About $97

Monstrous Selves (print)

Frankensteinize yourself! Have a portrait made of yourself as Frankenstein's monster. (Examples in the project description). You will receive a digital file of the art as well as a signed 5x7 print.
This reward includes a paperback copy of We Shall Be Monsters, and your name on the anthology's supporters' page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge CA$ 200 or more
About $156

Raising the writer (digital)

Join award-winning editor Derek Newman-Stille for an exclusive writing workshop to explore your inner writer and improve your writing skills.
This reward includes a digital copy of the book, and your name on the anthology's supporters' page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge CA$ 225 or more
About $175

Raising the writer (print)

Join award-winning editor Derek Newman-Stille for an exclusive writing workshop on Google Hangout to explore your inner writer and improve your writing skills.
This reward includes a signed copy of the book, and your name on the anthology's supporters' page.